July 2019 The Studiowith ART HIST RY KIDS The Art of Happy with Pierre Auguste Renoir Observe | Discuss | Discover | Create | Connect The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS OVERVIEW What we’ll be learning this month This month’s art is full of delightful moments! We’ll be whisked through a series of lovely environments courtesy of Renoir. From carefree boat parties to evenings filled with music and Impressionism in art dance – Renoir has the ability to instantly Impressionism in music transport us back to a place where carefree Color Theory happiness is the norm. Gesture Here’s an overview of the elements and Light and shadow principles of art, art Capturing feelings in art movement, and other concepts we’ll learn The Salon art exhibition about as well as some of the connections we’ll How to draw a face make to other subjects. July 2019 1 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS Your July Scheduling Planner You can use this lesson plan in a number of different ways! Read the ‘Scheduling Guide’ on the Foundations Page to get examples of some popular scheduling options, but feel free to mix things up and find your own routine. There is a lot of information in this guide, and you don’t need to do everything to feel like you’ve successfully Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, 1876 completed the unit. Some months your kids may want to make art every week. Other times they may want to skip the projects and just focus on the art appreciation elements in the guide. Both are perfectly legitimate ways to explore art! Decide how you’ll work art into your schedule this month, then plan it on your calendar. Post it on your The wall. Circle your dates. Make notes Studiowith in the margins. Remember– this is ART HIST RY KIDS not set in stone. Feel free to change course and be flexible with your time! I’m excited to get started! 2019 This month is going to be amazing. July 2019 2 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS July book list Here are some fun books you might like to check out from your library this month. Pierre Auguste Renoir (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists) by Mike Venezia Smart About Art: Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Paintings That Smile by True Kelley Katie and the Impressionists by James Mayhew In The Time Of Renoir (Art Around the World) by Antony Mason Pierre Auguste Renoir (Artists Through the Ages) by Alix Wood Books where Renoir is one of several featured artists... A Child’s Introduction to Art: The World’s Greatest Paintings and Sculptures by Heather Alexander Impressionism: 13 Artists Children Should Know by Florian Heine July 2019 3 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS INTRODUCTION Welcome to Renoir’s world Imagine you’re sitting in a beautiful courtyard cafe. You hear a mixture of clinking glasses, laughter, and soft yet lively music playing off in the distance. Some people around you are dancing! You’re sitting at a table surrounded by friends. You sip your favorite drink and enjoy the lovely day. The sunshine is peek- ing through the leaves of the trees and casting a lovely golden glow on the patio. The warm aroma fills the air– is that the scent of flowers, or yummy baked goods? Maybe it’s both! As you sit there taking in the splendid scene, you think to your- self... this is a perfect day! This is what it would feel like to spend the day inside a Renoir painting! The scenes in his artwork are an enchanting combination of friendship, leisure and fun, beautiful environments, and people enjoying the little everyday moments that often get overlooked. His paintings are about happiness! Here’s what Renoir said about art... “To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them.” Look through the selected paintings this week and have a chat about them! We’ll learn more about Renoir and his art next week. This is YOUR week to look closely and discover the beauty! July 2019 4 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS THE ART OF CONVERSATION click to zoom in Self-Portrait, 1876 July 2019 5 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS THE ART OF CONVERSATION click to zoom in Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, 1876 July 2019 6 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS THE ART OF CONVERSATION By the Water, 1880 July 2019 7 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS THE ART OF CONVERSATION click to Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1880-1881 zoom in July 2019 8 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS THE ART OF CONVERSATION click to zoom in Dance in the Country, 1883 Dance in the City, 1883 July 2019 9 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS THE ART OF CONVERSATION How to get your discussion started If your family is new to art appreciation, you can find a step-by-step guide to leading meaningful art discussions in the foundation section of our members’ area. Here are a few ideas to consider as you begin your discussion. Invite your kids to wonder about the art and to come up with their own ideas. Skip any questions that don’t inspire an engaged conversation. “What do you see here?” “What is happening in this painting?” “What does this place sound like? Smell like?” “How do the people in this painting feel? How can you tell?” “Would you like to go to this place? Why or why not?” “How does this art make you feel? Why?” “Can you spot any hidden details in the art?” “What do you notice about the colors and color combinations here?” “Look at the brushstrokes. What words would you use to describe them?” “Do you feel a sense of movement in the composition? What gives it that feeling?” “What is the story in this painting?” “Does this art remind you of anything?” “What interests you most about this painting?” “What else do you see?” “Looking at all of this art together, what can you tell about the artist?” July 2019 10 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS THE ART OF CONVERSATION Mind Map! Make your conversation visual! As you discuss the art, note down some of the key words or ideas that come up! (You can also do this on a big sheet of butcher paper or a chalkboard.) Renoir July 2019 11 The Art of Happy The Studiowith with Pierre-Auguste Renoir ART HIST RY KIDS NOW IT’S YOUR TURN... Let’s experiment with the Impressionist technique! Click on a few of the paintings in this guide to take a closer look at Renoir’s art. Zoom in and have a good look at the brushstrokes he’s using. Impressionists are known for using quick brushstrokes that are more expressive and not as detailed as other art movements. Artists like Renoir were capturing a feeling in their paintings... recording an everyday moment on their canvas. The paint application is usually thicker and the whole painting has a dreamy and breezy quality to it. Play with these ideas as you create your art this week! You may want to paint a self-portrait*, a landscape, or even a still life that you set up using things from around your house. The subject of your painting is totally up to you. The thing we’ll pay close attention Consider this: to is the painting technique. Try to paint like an Some things to consider as you make Impressionist this week. your art... Color: Impressionists rarely paint solid blocks of one color. If you’d like to use chalk or oil pastels for this project, Instead, they use broken color. By using spontaneous and they will work well. Many Impressionists LOVED gestural brushstrokes of different colors, the painting takes on working in pastel, and it’s a great medium for captur- a hazy and dreamy feeling. See what happens when you experiment with bold brushstrokes of broken color in your art. ing that lighthearted and gestural quality in your art. Working quickly: When impressionists painted, they were trying to capture a moment. Most of them worked quickly to Don’t worry if your painting doesn’t look finish their painting before the light changed. You can add like Renoir’s. It doesn’t need to. We’re just finishing touches to your art later, but explore the Impressionist playing with technique this week and seeing what method of working quickly, eliminating details, and incorporat- we can do with our materials. If you’ve never experi- ing movement and the essence of the moment into your art. mented with this style of painting before, check out the tips in the blue box. They’ll help you to start thinking like an Impressionist painter! *We’ll be painting people in a few of our projects this month. Check out the guide (on the next page) to learn the basics about drawing a face.